The worst team in Test history?
After an abysmal tour of India where the Tigers were defeated in both Tests by an innings, and lasted just over five days in total, questions have been raised about the direction of the team.
Yes, you read that right: Bangladesh are arguably the worst Test team in history.
After an abysmal tour of India where the Tigers were defeated in both Tests by an innings, and lasted just over five days in total, questions have been raised about the direction of the team.
But these questions have been there ever since the team was fast-forwarded into the elite of the cricketing world by being given Test status in 2000, mainly due to the popularity of the game among the people.
Back then, it was known that the infrastructure was missing, so progress in Tests would not be easy or simple, but now, 19 years on when the board is the fourth richest in the world, fingers need to be pointed.
The stats
So far Bangladesh have played 117 games and won just 13 matches and it is the poorest win-loss ratio - 0.147 – of any team to have played 100 or more Tests.
The record at home is slightly better with Bangladesh having won nine and lost 40 out of 62 games.
But away from home, Bangladesh have lost 48 out of 55 games winning just four.
Out of those 88 losses, 42 of them have been innings defeats – perhaps the most damning stat of all showing just how consistently poor the team has been.
Even though West Indies have been poorly managed and Zimbabwe have been grappling with ICC status due to political turmoil, their Test cricket results have not been nearly as poor.
The Board
The biggest issue here has to be the lack of proper usage of the funds that the board has been regularly getting, and the lack of proper planning to develop the game in the grassroots.
While little progress has been made, the amount of revenue that the cricket board receives simply doesn't justify the amount it has so far spent for cricket.
Per annum, the board generates up to 300 crore taka but over the last four years, only 23 crore has been spent on the first division players according to sources close to the cricket board.
What is done with the rest of the money remains a massive question and the recent 13-point demands from the cricketers further emphasises the issue at hand.
The Players
The lack in planning and interest from the board certainly trickles down to the players and a lot of them feel a distinct lack of motivation to play the longest format, where the money isn't nearly as good as that of the top Test playing teams.
Among many of the new crop of players, there is a distinct lack of desire to play Test cricket and have a big career over here, as a result of the cricket culture.
The advent of Twenty20 cricket and franchise leagues being lucrative for the players has also been massive stumbling block for where the cricketers' priorities lie.
There is a feeling that the level of fight, pride and seriousness needed to play Test cricket go missing when the players get a national contract and when the money and fame starts to seep in.
Players are simple too happy with too little and this.
The fans and media
The media has to be given part of the blame here as they hype for Test cricket and the interest it generates for it is not in the same level of that in T20 or ODI cricket.
The way a National Cricket League four day match gets covered by the local media and the way a Bangladesh Premier League T20 tournament gets covered is spades apart.
The fans, too show their support for the team when ODI's and T20I's are played with packed stadiums, but when red ball cricket is in town, the stadium is greeted by mostly empty galleries.
The interest from the fans and the media has an effect on the board and the sponsors and it further adds fuel to a vicious cycle where Test cricket gets compromised.
The future
Truth be told, the future of Bangladesh cricket Tests look bleak as Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad will all retire in the next four years.
The new crop simply hasn't shown enough promise to evoke any form of excitement from the cricketing fraternity.
There are still massive deficiencies in the fast bowling department and the search of a wrist-spinner continues.
While the batting might be able to hold its own under familiar conditions, away series' will still cause Bangladesh a lot of hurt.
Maybe a total re-shuffle is required, but if the mentality of the biggest stakeholders in cricket – the board, the players, the media and the fans – don't change, it won't really change much as darker times await.